WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSFA) - Alabama U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-District 5, welcomed two familiar yet controversial faces to his Washington office Tuesday and later tweeted a photo to his social media followers.

Ex-Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and his former adviser, Rebekah Mason, were at Brooks’ office “to discuss skin cancer prevention & advocate for policy issues important to dermatologist[s],” the congressman said.

Bentley, a dermatologist, returned to practicing medicine in Tuscaloosa shortly after resigning from office in mid-2017.

The resignation was part of a deal in which he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor campaign-finance violations, agreed to never again hold public office and to forfeit about $36,000 from his campaign account. He was also required to perform at least 100 hours of community service as a physician.

Bentley was accused of having an extramarital affair with Mason, a key staffer, and using public resources to cover it up.

Mason’s husband, Jon Mason, was the director of the Governor’s Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives. That office was rolled into ADECA by Gov. Kay Ivey shortly after Bentley’s resignation.

In June, WSFA 12 News confirmed the State of Alabama paid more than a half million dollars to settle a lawsuit against Bentley, filed by Spencer Collier. Collier was the state’s first Secretary of the Bentley-created Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, or ALEA, before Bentley terminated him.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated to remove an inaccurate reference to the Governor’s Office of Faith Based Initiatives being created by then-Gov. Robert Bentley.

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